How to Negotiate For That Short-Term Lease

If you are looking for an easy way to rent an apartment for six months or so, you should consider looking for a short-term lease. Perhaps you are a student that will only require a place to live for eight months, or you are going on a vacation and do not want to spend every night at an expensive hotel. Either way, you need to know how to acquire that perfect short-term lease.

While a short-term lease may be the best option for you, it may not be the case for the landlord. Chances are he or she would prefer to have a long-term lease, as it is a steady income and costs less for tenant screenings.

For this reason, the landlord will often battle you until the end to ensure you have to pay a higher monthly rent and have limits on your deposit. He or she does not do this to be mean, but to ensure they have security. As the potential renter, you will need to battle him or her right back with the right negotiating skills.

To do this effectively, you should take a few things in mind. Always remember that a location with higher vacancy rates means more bargaining flexibility. You can use this as a reason for the landlord to negotiate.

In order to really get the landlord to bend to your will, explain to him or her that you can move in immediately, and that you will provide him or her with two months of rent immediately. This will certainly make the landlord more flexibility in terms of monthly rent.

Another good tactic is to rent the apartment in its current condition. Meaning, you will do all the cleaning and fix any appliances that need to be fixed.

Ensure you negotiate rent and necessities such as water and heat. You do not want to be paying a separate hydro bill if it is not included, so double check that it is.

Lastly, have a good credit rating and letter of recommendation from a landlord you once lived under. These simple and effective tactics will ensure you win not just the negotiating battle, but the short-term lease war.